204 the rice diet renewal
typing your address. The closest farmers to you should appear, and
many of them will be organic. CSAs are an opportunity to co - op
with local farmers; your upfront fees support the farmers, which
then entitles you to get a percentage of their harvest, and some
even deliver their fresh produce to your door.
Day 25: Assess the True Cost of Your Food
Before your next visit to the farmer ’ s market, food co - op, or chain
grocery store, photocopy one of the sample menus from chapter 2
and the grocery list in appendix A and consult “ Assessing the True
Cost of Your Food ” in appendix B. As you shop for the ingredients
you need to create the week ’ s recipes, these materials will assist you
in becoming more informed on whether your choice is organic and
how many miles that food traveled to reach you. Don ’ t hesitate to ask
the produce manager the geographical source of the foods you want
to buy. It is his or her job to know the products he or sells, even if that
means checking the bulk container for the requested information.
Before you go shopping, be sure to also bring your copy of the
least and most important foods to buy organic (from http://www.organic -
center.org/reportfi les/TOC_Pocket_Guide.pdf ). Commit to doing
this exercise for one week, but if you do it for a month, that would
really be an eye - opener and paradigm shifter!
During our last Rice Diet Program reunion, a couple of carloads
of Ricers and I went on a farmer ’ s market treasure hunt, all of us
armed with the questions from “ Assessing the True Cost of Your
Food. ” This was an enlightening exercise in conscious consumption.
Initially, some people felt shy about asking the farmers whether their
foods were organic and how far they had commuted that day, but
we soon got excited to discover the truth about our projected menu
items. We also became aware of how some foods cost more and oth-
ers less than regular, conventionally grown grocery store items, but
that most organic foods were priced higher for good reasons. After
you meet a few organic farmers and talk with them about what got
them interested in organic farming, how they keep the pests off their
tomatoes, why they chose to be certifi ed organic or not, you gain
a whole new appreciation for why these foods cost more: organic